Mitsoki V2
by Clear Free-Flowing Liquid
Summary: Inuyasha is injured and a cat demon shows up like an asprin to a really bad hangover. Will any of their lives ever be the same? No, that would make a boring story.
1. Chapter 1

Author's notes: Thank you to all the readers who read the original version, thank you for resisting the urge to flame me. In fact, thanks as well to the person who did. You could've been a bit more professional, but you opened my eyes, and at the end of the day, that's what counts. Even Kurt Vonnegut wrote a horrible story, the original Timequake. What did he do? He cleaned it up and re-released it. So I've cleaned up the story and now, ladies, gentlemen and others, I present to you Mitsoki V2.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except Mitsoki.

Another Disclaimer: Mitsoki is based on me, however, this is _not_ a self-insertion. Mitsoki is much better than I am.

Mitsoki: Chapter 1: You Don't Know Jack, or Mitsoki

"SIT!" WHAM! Business as usual for the first couple of anime. Or was it? Inuyasha crawled to his feet. They were in a small, unoccupied wooden building. Really, where else?

"Do it again," he requested.

"SIT!" Kagome screamed.

"Again," Inuyasha demanded.

"That's ten in a row. Your body can't handle any more," said Kagome.

"Come on. If I'm ever going to kill Naraku, I need to learn how to take a beating," Inuyasha debated. This had recently become a fairly regular part of Inuyasha's workout routine, and it was proving quite effective.

"You're sure?" asked Kagome.

"Yes," answered Inuyasha.

"SIT!" Kagome yelled. WHAM!

"Ow! Okay! That one hurt!" exclaimed Inuyasha.

"What kind of pain is it?" asked Kagome.

"Like a thousand fiery needles digging into my arm," responded Inuyasha.

"Are you okay?" asked Kagome.

"Fantastic," responded Inuyasha sarcastically.

"I think you, or I really, pinched your nerve," observed Kagome.

"How do we fix that?" asked Inuyasha, his voice quivering ever so slightly, his face not showing anything at all.

"No idea," said Kagome.

"Well then, I'd say we've got a problem," interrupted Sango, "There's no way Inuyasha can fight like this. We're sort of screwed."

"Hey, I know of a treatment that can fix a pinched nerve," said Miroku, "I have all the ingredients except one herb, which grows near here. I can go get it right now."

"I'll come with you," said Sango.

"Me too," said Kagome.

"No, stay here," said Miroku, "If anyone attacks, Inuyasha will be defenceless. We need you to back him up."

"Okay," said Kagome.

"Well, we're off," said Sango, walking away.

"Bye," said Kagome.

Sometime later, the two were walking through a field. There was nothing growing in the field, it was just a wide open space. Off in the distance, they saw a figure. Upon further inspection, the figure was distinctly a demon. He was walking towards them. He had a fluid walk, and he appeared to have hair almost identical to cat's hair, only longer. It was burning red. As he approached within ten feet of them, Miroku pulled out a sutra. He threw it at the demon, with the standard yell of, "Sacred sutra!" The sutra hit the demon, and there was a half-second pause, which seemed like forever, before the demon peered up at it nonchalantly and pulled it off.

"Kama Sutra!" the demon yelled, glancing at Sango. Miroku suppressed a laugh.

"I don't get it," said Sango.

"That's good," said Miroku, then, turning to the demon, "How is it you survived my Sutra without even flinching?"

"I did some stuff for some monks, they helped me build an immunity," said the demon, "it's a good thing too, because if they hadn't, you would've just taken an innocent life."

"Sorry, I can be hasty like that," said Miroku.

"You mean you've done that to other demons?" asked the demon in shock.

"Well, now that you mention it, I guess I have," said Miroku.

"You sick, sick human being!" the demon objected.

"What? We usually get the right guy," Miroku defended.

"It's still wrong to assume like that," lectured the demon.

"Help me out here Sango," requested Miroku.

"He's right, we can be a bit overzealous sometimes," said Sango.

"Just never do it again," said the demon.

"Sounds reasonable. Okay, fine, I'll think more first," said Miroku.

"What is your name anyways?" asked Sango.

"I am the inimitable cat demon Mitsoki," responded the demon, "and who are you?"

"I am the monk Miroku," said Miroku.

"I'm Sango, the demon-sla- I mean, just Sango," said Sango.

"It's okay, I understand that there are quite a few demons who need slaying. I, however, am not one of them," said Mitsoki.

"We're looking for an herb to help our injured friend," said Sango.

"Oh? What's it called?" asked Mitsoki.

"It's called Cumin. It's commonly used in cooking," answered Miroku.

"I happen to have some growing in my garden," said Mitsoki, "I love growing herbs and spices. Just follow me, and I'll give you some. I'm sorry, but this year's crop didn't come in too well."

"That's fine," said Sango, then she turned to Miroku, "isn't it?"

"Yes, I only need a little bit," answered Miroku.

"Well, follow me," said Mitsoki, taking off in the eastern direction.

"Not so fast!" yelled Miroku. Mitsoki stopped cold.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing, I just wanted you to slow down," said Miroku.

"I thought you meant 'not so fast' as in 'wait a second'," explained Mitsoki.

"No, just with less speed," said Miroku. They continued at a slower pace until Mitsoki took them to a house. It was fairly nice, though not very big. The one thing that was huge, however, was the dazzling garden behind his house.

"Okay, it should be around here," said Mitsoki, leading them to a patch of cumin. About half of it was dead, but the other half looked promising.

"This is beautiful, how do you do this?" asked Sango.

"I just have a strong interest in macrobiotics," said Mitsoki.

"I'm not familiar with that term," said Miroku.

"I try to grow as much of my own food as possible," said Mitsoki, "and I don't eat meat, which I know is weird, because I'm a cat."

"I can imagine," said Sango.

"Well, I've got your cumin," said Mitsoki, handing them a small basket of the herb.

"Thanks, is there anything we can do for you in return?" asked Sango.

Mitsoki skipped what he really wanted to say, and instead opted for, "I'd kind of like to meet your injured friend," said Mitsoki, "how did he get injured?"

"Umm… training," said Miroku, skipping the long story.

"Really? Is he an athlete?" asked Mitsoki.

"No, more of an adventurer," answered Sango.

"Really?" asked Mitsoki.

"We all are," answered Miroku.

"Are there more of you?" asked Mitsoki.

"Yes, there are three more of us, other than the injured friend," said Sango.

"Actually, now that you mention it, there's another cat demon with us," said Miroku, "although she's more cat than anything else."

"So can I meet them?" asked Mitsoki.

"I don't see any reason why not," said Sango.

"Well then, let's go," said Mitsoki, "where are they?"

"They're off this way," said Miroku, walking in the direction of the clearing where their friends rested.

Meanwhile, back in the building, Inuyasha and Kagome were sharing a secret kiss. They didn't know how it happened, they were just sort of looking at each other, and then Inuyasha leaned into Kagome. Or did Kagome lean into Inuyasha? One thing was for sure, whoever didn't do the leaning had answered the leaning. Now they were there. Was anything else there? Who knew? Who cared? The kiss was innocent and tender in one way, yet still fiery and passionate in another way. And then they both simultaneously realized what they were doing. They stopped. They glanced at each other. In an instant, there was an understanding. They both knew it was there, why fight it? Inuyasha placed his hand on Kagome's cheek, and they started again. It was every bit as good as the first one. Maybe better, because they had one thing that had been missing: acceptance. They broke away, just at the right moment. They heard footsteps behind them.

"Who's there?" Inuyasha asked, glancing up and getting a jolt from his neck, "GAHHHHH!"

"It's just us," said Miroku.

"Who's that behind you?" asked Kagome.

"I'm Mitsoki, the cat demon," responded Mitsoki.

"He brought the herb," said Sango.

"Hurry up, apply it!" cried Shippo. Wait… Shippo? Had he been there the whole time? He must have, but he didn't say anything.

"Just a second," said Miroku. He pulled out a bowl and began mixing herbs. Before long, he had a rich, creamy lather. He applied it to Inuyasha's neck and started to chant. He pulled out a sutra.

"What are you doing with that?" asked Inuyasha with a distinct tone of worry in his voice.

"Relax, this isn't a regular sutra, it's strictly for healing. No purifying, I promise," assured Miroku. He lay the sutra on Inuyasha's neck. "This, on the other hand, may hurt a bit," he said, cranking Inuyasha's neck. Inuyasha let out an oddly uncharacteristic and high-pitched scream, then opened his eyes.

"Hey, the pain is gone," he said.

"You will feel some pain in your neck for a while," said Miroku, "but I can't do anything about that. I'm a monk, not a Shiatsu massage therapist."

"I know a bit about Shiatsu massage," piped up Mitsoki.

"Really? You know, that's the one thing we've been missing this whole time. We can fight, we can heal, we can do almost everything, but none of us can rehab injuries," said Sango.

"Well, to be fair, I'm not very good," admitted Mitsoki, "and it would be sort of weird."

"That's okay. We could use someone like you," said Kagome.

"Yeah," agreed Shippo.

"How about it? Will you help us kill Naraku?" asked Miroku.

"Naraku? Of course. His demons are always eating my plants," said Mitsoki, "and… my pets."

"Well then, come with us," said Shippo.

"Okay, I guess I could leave home for a little while," said Mitsoki.

"What about the pets you just mentioned?" asked Sango.

"I gave up. They were all eaten," answered Mitsoki.

"Mew," said Kirara.

"I know, but that's life," said Mitsoki.

"What did she say?" asked Sango.

"Just that it was sad that my animals died," responded Mitsoki.

"Well, something to fight for never hurts," said Miroku, in the understatement of the year.

"Well then, let's roll," said Mitsoki, feeling the rush.

End of Chapter

Author's Notes: I said no flames last time, but YOU DIDN'T LISTEN, DID YOU? Sorry, that was slightly bitter. I only got one flame. I only got one review, but c'est la vie. Anyways, just review honestly. If you like the story, please say so. That way, I can finally redeem myself for the Blair Witch Project piece of crap I put out earlier.


	2. Sight

Chapter Two: Sight

Inuyasha swung the Tetsusaiga wildly, but to no avail. The moth demon darted wildly around, his wiriness overwhelming the party. This fight was rather trivial. You know, the usual bullcrap. They wanted to pass over a bridge, he didn't want to let them. The troll was a moth. He struck a blow on Sango and a trickle of blood started to flow. Mitsoki motioned to Kagome, miming shooting an arrow. Instantly, Kagome pulled out her bow and aimed. The moth demon looked over instantly. "You've tried this before and it didn't work. Why are you trying the same thing over again and expecting a different result? I believe that's the definition of insanity," he laughed, never losing sight of Kagome.

"Make them watch the other hand," whispered Mitsoki to himself, "Slip the rabbit into the hat with this hand," he continued, sneaking up behind the moth demon as Kagome shot back a wink ever so subtly, "Then pull the rabbit out!" Mitsoki got down low and pulled the demon's legs back. The demon fell forward and his chin hit the ground hard. One of his teeth fragmented into the roof of his mouth. Mitsoki wasn't done. He wrapped the demon's right leg around his own and fell forward, onto the demon. He reached forward and grabbed the demon's face. He pulled back until the demon screamed in agony, then he eased up a tiny bit. The demon tried to get out but Mitsoki pulled again until the demon relaxed his efforts and lay submissively.

Mitsoki spoke, "Okay, listen to me and listen now. I can just say the word and you're dead, but I don't want to do that. I know that you probably have a life too. I know that you probably have friends and family you'd like to properly say goodbye to; maybe a girlfriend that you want to see one more time, maybe a boyfriend, I'm not judging. I know that you have things to do. Enemies you want to confront, events to go to, deals to finalize and dreams to live out, and dying would really screw up your plans. You have hundreds, maybe thousands of years ahead of you that I know you don't want cut short, any more than we want to cut them short. Do you understand?" The demon nodded in Mitsoki's hands (where his head was) and Mitsoki released the hold. The demon rose to his feet and stood at the side of the bridge. Mitsoki and company passed, their eyes constantly on the moth demon.

Some time later, Inuyasha spoke, "I would've just killed him."

"Many people would. People just don't truly understand life," responded Mitsoki.

"You know, I've never seen it the way you just described back there," said Sango, "I'm starting to reconsider my line of work."

"Don't. That was a rare occurrence. If you had tried that with most other enemies, they would have merely attacked you again once you let them up," Mitsoki answered, "You just have to discern the truly evil from the malevolent."

A few hours later, the group stopped to eat by a river. They caught some fish (except Mitsoki, vegetarian, remember?). Miroku roasted them on the fire while Mitsoki whipped up a lentil and bean curry for himself and those willing to take a walk on the green side. Within ten minutes, they were both ready. Everyone tried the lentil and bean curry. Inuyasha, as usual, found it too spicy. When he vocalized his opinion rather openly, he was met with a loud "sit!" Even before Inuyasha's head hit the ground, Mitsoki stood up con fuoco (a musical term which, in Italian, means "with fire"). "What are you doing?" he asked.

"He was being inconsiderate," said Kagome.

"That's no reason to break his neck!" said Mitsoki.

"What do you mean?" asked Kagome.

"Didn't you learn anything before? You don't seem to realize how much you're hurting him. When his head crashes into the ground, it causes serious pressure on his neck, shoulder and spine. Not to mention the chance of crushing his skull. One of these days, you're going to kill him. Look at how close you already came. You're smarter than that, I know you are," Mitsoki lectured.

"I guess I never thought of that. He never complained," defended Kagome.

"Did that not occur to you as the sort of thing someone like him would keep to themselves?" asked Mitsoki rhetorically.

"I guess it didn't," answered Kagome.

"Well, if you have any shred of compassion in your body, let it occur to you now," said Mitsoki, "look, he's still lying there."

"I could get up any time now," said Inuyasha.

"He's lying, you know. How do you do it anyways, make him fall by saying 'sit'?" asked Mitsoki.

"See those beads around his neck?" asked Kagome.

"Yes," answered Mitsoki.

"They do it," answered Kagome.

"Well take them off," recommended Mitsoki.

"No!" said Kagome.

"Come on. If you really care about him, you'll take the beads off," argued Mitsoki.

"How about I just use more discretion?" proposed Kagome.

"Don't act like I haven't heard that one before," said Mitsoki, "The only safe thing to do is take them off."

"But I'm scared he may do something irrational if I'm not able to do it," explained Kagome.

"There's a reason we don't kill people for stealing produce," said Mitsoki.

"Fine, I'm out of arguments," said Kagome, removing the beads. An era was over.

"Why didn't he ever do it himself?" asked Mitsoki.

"He couldn't," answered Kagome. (Author's notes: I apologize if it's actually no one can take them off, it was my understanding that only he couldn't take them off)

Inuyasha rose now. He would later privately thank Mitsoki, but he just felt awkward doing it then. Mitsoki understood.

After what seemed like an eternity of sitting, eating silently, Mitsoki broke the silence, "I can try making dishes that aren't spicy in the future."

"Okay. That would've been good if it didn't burn so much. Instead, it was crap," said Inuyasha.

"Sit!" Kagome yelled. Nothing happened. Inuyasha laughed. What seemed like an eternity of walking on pins and needles was over. He was never very good at it. He kept laughing for at least five minutes. He laughed with relief and he laughed with intensity.

"Old habits die hard, huh?" said Mitsoki. After they were finished eating, they set up camp. Mitsoki set up a makeshift bathroom facility because he knew that the curry would catch up with everyone soon. It did. Indo-vegetarian is great going in but not so great coming out. Mitsoki was starting to regret not building two makeshift latrines. He was unaffected, being used to it. He just went to bed, a full three hours before anyone else even got drowsy (cats need a lot more sleep). An eventful day was over, but an eventful journey had just began.

Author's notes, again: The Ship Song. What a great duet of two fantastic voices. I should explain, I always listen to music when I write. Now I'm listening to the acoustic version of Joey. Whoever can tell me what CD I'm listening to gets a special mention in my next chapter. Oh, by the way, if the person who flamed the original version of this story is reading, I'd love to get your comments. Why? You're my toughest critic, next to myself.


	3. It's Hard to be a Saint in the Feudal Er

Warning: This chapter is where it starts to get a little bit weird, I might even say perverse, but it all serves a purpose in establishing characters and so on. Plus, I'm a 16 year old male human being. Forgive me.

Mitsoki Chapter 3:

It's Hard to be a Saint in the Feudal Era

They waved goodbye as Kagome escaped down the well and returned to her time. Following that, everybody just stood there for a while.

"So let me get this straight," Mitsoki commentated, "She goes back to her time, and we just wait here for her?"

"What else?" said Miroku, "We can't continue on without her."

"We just stand here like idiots for days at a time?" asked Mitsoki.

"No, we set up camp and do stuff, but we don't usually leave this spot," answered Miroku.

"Wow… that sounds boring," said Mitsoki.

"Yeah, but it's all worth it when Kagome comes back," said Inuyasha longingly.

"You guys really have a good thing going, don't you?" inquired Mitsoki.

"What are you talking about?" denied Inuyasha, "Me and her? I would never!"

"Oh, come on. 'It's all worth it when she comes back'?" continued Mitsoki.

"I just mean when we get to go back to searching for the jewel shards, you know, the thrill of the hunt," said Inuyasha.

"Admit it, you guys are into each other," concluded Mitsoki.

"Why you! —" Started Inuyasha.

"There's no need to get confrontational about it. There's nothing to be ashamed of, Kagome's a very attractive woman," reassured Mitsoki.

"Hey! There's nothing between us!" snarled Inuyasha.

"If you say so," said Mitsoki, though his expression said, "Yeah freaking right."

"Oh no," said Shippo to Sango, "They're going to fight."

"You really want to do this, buddy?" said Inuyasha, cracking his knuckles.

_This isn't good,_ thought Mitsoki, _Why does he want to fight so badly anyways? It's as if he just wants to fight anyways. I'm just the outlet. If we do fight, he'll have a clear strength advantage._

While he was thinking this, he wasn't saying anything. Inuyasha took that as an acceptance. The fight was on.

"Let's do this, Kitty," said Inuyasha, getting in charging stance.

"Oh, I get it, a racial epithet. Well, I really didn't want to do this, but you've stepped over the line," said Mitsoki, getting in Muay Thai stance.

Inuyasha charged. Mitsoki sidestepped the half-demon and tried to grab his arm. Inuyasha saw this coming and, instead of pulling his arm back, pushed it straight ahead instead, getting a fist full of feline face. Mitsoki was knocked of his feet, but managed to roll through and regain his footing. Inuyasha charged again, arm outstretched. Mitsoki saw this tactical error and pounced. He grabbed the hand and dove over Inuyasha's head. Inuyasha's arm swung with the cat demon and, upon reaching the farthest it would go, pulled his body down with it. Mitsoki capitalized on his fallen foe and the fact that he still had his arm. He placed the arm between his legs (get those thoughts out of your head, I mean through his legs) and, maintaining a grip, began to pull as hard as he could. Inuyasha, sensing that defeat could be a mere heartbeat away, did the first thing that came to his head: he stood to his feet. He lifted his entrapped arm, as well as the entrapper, high above his head. Realizing what was next, Mitsoki released Inuyasha's hand and, keeping the hold with his legs, he back flipped to grab Inuyasha's leg. Then, as the onlookers watched with an expression that said both, "Stop the madness!" and "Pass the popcorn", Mitsoki pulled as hard as he could on the leg. Inuyasha lost his balance as both men tumbled to the ground. Mitsoki retracted his body like he had with the moth demon and, using his leg grip on Inuyasha's arm, put all the pressure on Inuyasha's leg. Inuyasha struggled, physically unable to escape and mentally unable to admit defeat. After Mitsoki had held the hold for about thirty seconds, he released. Both men got to their feet and stared at each other. One with disdain, the other with satisfaction.

"You made the mistake of challenging me to my kind of fight," explained Mitsoki, "If we had fought with swords, I'd lose the fight and a lot more, but in shoot fighting, I win."

"Next time, we'll fight with swords," threatened Inuyasha.

"You'd really take my life all because I said you were in a perfectly normal adult relationship?" questioned Mitsoki.

"I told you, there's nothing going on," said Inuyasha.

"Someday, you'll have to stop running from the truth. Until then, learn to curb your temper or there will be a lot of blood shed," advised Mitsoki.

The two stared at each other for what looked like an eternity, but was really only thirty seconds. Inuyasha stared with unbridled fury, Mitsoki returned with a mixture of curiosity and knowing. And yes, a little bit of anger. They could've stared forever had Sango not broken the silence.

"Well, I hate to break this memorable moment, but we have to set up camp," she said.

"That we do," said Miroku, desperate to start a conversation.

"Well then… let's do it," said Shippo, desperate to indicate that everyone was moving on, and that Inuyasha and Mitsoki should do the same.

"We could stare at each other all day, but they're right," said Mitsoki.

"Fine by me," said Inuyasha coldly.

By the time they set up camp, dusk had fallen. Mitsoki whipped up his now-famous lentil and bean curry, making it non-spicy by adding lemon and less of the heat-packing seasonings. No one else bothered to make anything else, the curry was more than good enough (shameless vegetarian plug, sorry. GO GREENIES! E-mail for more information). He was done, and it was dark, they ate. Except Inuyasha, of course, who was still pissed at Mitsoki, and consequently refused to eat anything he had made. Mitsoki, having made it non-spicy for him, was upset, but decided to let time heal all wounds. Besides, Inuyasha would get hungry. They all got drowsy and, after a while, all went to bed. Inuyasha got up in the middle of the night to eat the curry, telling no one ever (Mitsoki guessed when all the leftovers were gone). They were all woken up by Kagome's perky voice the next morning.

"I'm back everyone," she said, "Wake up! Hey, you guys had curry again last night. Did you save me some?"

"There should still be some in the pot," said Mitsoki groggily.

"There isn't," responded Kagome.

"Oh. I have no idea what happened to it," he said, knowing full well what happened to it.

"Morning guys," said Inuyasha, climbing out of the tent-thingy and wiping his eyes, "Good morning, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kirara, Kagome."

"Why didn't he mention Mitsoki?" said Kagome, whispering to Sango.

"They had a fight yesterday. Inuyasha was being a jerk," answered Sango, "They got into it with flying fists and everything."

"Why would Inuyasha still be mad? Fights always cheer him up," pondered Kagome.

"He lost," answered Sango.

"Hey, Mitsoki, while I was at home, I realized who you remind me of," said Kagome.

"Who?" asked Mitsoki.

"Well, I got looking at my CD collection, and I realized you really look like Ziggy Stardust," said Kagome.

"Who is that?" asked Mitsoki.

"Well, rock musician David Bowie used to dye his hair orange and called himself Ziggy Stardust, sort of a persona," explained Kagome.

"I think you mentioned him once," said Miroku.

"Here, I have the Ziggy Stardust CD," said Kagome, handing Mitsoki the CD.

"What's a CD?" asked Mitsoki, glancing at the album cover and remarking, "Yeah, he does look like me."

"Here, stick the CD in this thing and listen through these things," said Kagome, handing him a portable CD player and motioning to the headphones.

"Okay," said Mitsoki, putting the CD in and putting the headphones near his head.

"No, stick the headphones on your head, so that the padded parts cover your ears," explained Kagome.

"Oh, I guess that would make a little more sense," said Mitsoki, doing as dictated. Kagome pushed play and the sound of Five Years started to play.

"Wow, this is pretty good," said Mitsoki, departing to a log to sit and listen.

"He's been nothing but good things so far, hasn't he?" commented Kagome.

"You're only saying that because he embarrassed Inuyasha," said Sango.

"Oh, and you don't like him?" asked Kagome.

"I like him, I'm just not jumping to sing his praises," laughed Sango.

"Well, I think he's great," said Kagome.

"Yeah, he keeps Inuyasha from walking all over me," said Shippo.

"Hey, he hasn't been that great to me," said Inuyasha.

"SIT!" Kagome screamed, then, calmly, "See how you're not writhing in pain right now? Who do you think you owe that to?"

"He's still a douche bag," said Inuyasha.

"Why, just because he hurt you a little?" mocked Shippo.

"Yeah, that was all your fault," said Sango.

"All my fault?" Inuyasha said, as if Sango had spoken those words wearing a giant banana suit and singing "Peanut butter jelly time", "He said… umm… you know what he said."

"What did he say?" asked Kagome.

"I'm not telling you," answered Inuyasha.

"Hey, why not?" demanded Kagome.

"Well… he… said… he said that there was something between us," said Inuyasha.

"Isn't there?" asked Kagome.

"No, we're just comrades," answered Inuyasha.

"What about that kiss?" asked Kagome.

"Kiss?" asked Miroku, Sango and Shippo simultaneously. Well, okay, Shippo was just feigning ignorance.

"Okay, fine. I love you. There, it's been said. Happy now?" said Inuyasha.

"Yes, very happy," said Kagome. Their eyes met like they had when he had injured his shoulder. They drew themselves close together, blocking out all other people in the area. Who cared if they saw this? Everything was out in the open now. Shippo, Miroku, Sango and even Mitsoki, now awkwardly dancing to Starman, faded into oblivion, and they began another long, beautiful kiss. They were going at each other ferociously now. They kissed with an eternity of held back intensity, not like before, when they were worried about discovery.

"Geez, you guys, are you trying to kiss or eat each other?" commented Shippo, before being met by a stifling smack in the head from Miroku.

"Let's give them a moment's peace, shall we?" proposed Miroku.

"You took the words right out of my mouth," said Sango. Seconds later, she asked, "Hey, if it works for them, why can't we love on the road?"

"Umm… well… because… they may look happy now, but when it gets down to it, they won't be able to function," defended Miroku.

"Sure, you just don't want to give up the flirting with other women," said Shippo, who was promptly met with a second smack.

The three walked away, Shippo rubbing his head, while Inuyasha and Kagome celebrated Kagome's most interesting return to the feudal era yet. They didn't stop until well into Suffragette City, when they were distracted by Mitsoki's loud but oddly good attempts to sing along. That was a moment killer.

"I think you owe him something," said Kagome.

"What? I already gave him my Tetsusaiga demonstration," said Inuyasha.

"I mean an apology," said Kagome, "He was clearly on the money."

"Fine, I guess you're right," admitted Inuyasha.

"He's only got one more song to go, he shouldn't be long," said Kagome.

As if on cue, Mitsoki's ears were drawn to the modest guitar intro of Rock and Roll Suicide. He listened as time took a cigarette and put it in the mouth. He listened as Chev brakes were snarling, and the drums kicked in. He had no idea what a Chev was, but he wanted to know. He listened to the apex of Bowie screaming, "You're not alone!" He listened right up until the final stroke of the string orchestra. He removed the headphones and walked over to Kagome.

"That was terrific," said Mitsoki, handing her the CD player, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I think Inuyasha has something to say to you," said Kagome.

"I'm… sorry about yesterday," said Inuyasha, not being used to apologizing, "As it turned out, you were right. Kagome and I really are in love. You were just observant enough to notice it."

"I accept your apology," said Mitsoki, "now, before we all die of boredom, let's go do something fun."

"Like what?" asked Kagome.

"Like go out for a whole day of partying at the nearest town," suggested Mitsoki.

"I could go for that," said Inuyasha.

"I second that," said Kagome.

"Hey you guys, we're going to town by going to town," said Mitsoki to the distanced three. They heard and started to head towards the other three, Miroku barrelling as fast as he could, Sango and Shippo walking.

On their way, they came to a forest, then a clearing. In that clearing, Shippo noticed something.

"Demons!" he cried quietly. The others looked ahead and saw that he was right. Three demon women stood chatting in the clearing. One was a redhead, the other two had white hair. They were all well-figured and two were scantily clad. The game had been disbanded. The other (white-haired) wore long, flowing red.

"My wind scar should fix this," said Inuyasha.

"No, listen, they're talking about rouge. They're probably relatively harmless," said Mitsoki, "I'll handle this."

Mitsoki walked out into the clearing and started walking towards the demons. They looked at him and the redhead said, "Can we help you?"

"Do you want to help me?" asked Mitsoki coyly.

"Oh no, he's flirting," muttered Shippo, burying his face in his hands.

"Can you blame him?" asked Miroku, getting a fist in the face from Sango in response.

"Do you need any help?" asked the white-haired demon in black, playing his game.

"Don't we all?" countered Mitsoki.

"Farota, stop this pathetic flirting!" the second white-haired demon, wearing red, commanded, "Cat demon, what do you want?"

"I was just passing through," he answered.

"And?" asked the demon in red.

"That's it," responded Mitsoki.

"Well then leave us," she demanded harshly.

"Come on, sister, let's not be so hostile," said Farota.

"If he has no purpose here, he should leave," said the demon in red.

"Why does everything have to have a purpose?" asked Mitsoki, "Isn't life more fun without one?"

"I'm going to have to agree with those two," said the redhead.

"Traitor," the one in red muttered.

"Speaking of things with no purpose, my friends and I are going into town to get really drunk, party and probably do some things we'll regret, would you ladies care to join us?" offered Mitsoki.

"Your friends?" asked the redhead.

"Yeah, they're in the bushes over there. Hey guys! Come on out!" said Mitsoki.

"What were they doing hiding in the bushes?" asked the redhead as the entire group walked out of the brush.

"Would you just walk out and talk to total strangers?" answered Mitsoki.

"You did," said Farota.

"I'm not normal," explained Mitsoki.

"Ah," said Farota.

"So… partying, you in?" asked Mitsoki.

"I'm in," said Farota.

"If she's in, I'm in," said the redhead.

"Well… I guess I can't very well let my sisters go off with you alone," said the one in red, "I'll come too."

"Well then, I guess we're all agreed. Let's give that town a day they'll never forget," said Mitsoki, walking in the direction of the town.

Just after they started walking, Kagome leaned into Mitsoki's ear. "Are you sure we can trust them?" she asked.

"You trusted me," Answered Mitsoki, grinning slyly.

"I guess you're right," said Kagome.

"Besides, even if they do turn out to be trouble, we can take them," Mitsoki chuckled.

"I heard that," said the demon in red, laughing for the first time since they had met.

"Don't worry, you'd kill us," said Mitsoki, "By the way, I never did catch your name."

"I'm Angie," said the demon in red.

"Ziggy Stardust and Angie," said Kagome, laughing to a joke only she understood.

"What's so funny?" asked Angie, "And who's Ziggy Stardust?"

"Never mind," said Kagome, not wanting to imply anything.

"Actually, cat demon, I never caught your name either," said Angie.

"My name is Mitsoki," said… Mitsoki.

"I'm Lakuda," said the redhead.

"Angie, Farota and Lakuda," said Mitsoki, "Welcome to the greatest day of your life."

"I'm holding you to that," came Miroku, entering the conversation for the first time.

By then, they had just about reached the town. They were on the outskirts; they could see all the little farms that dotted the landscape. People were growing all sorts of things: onions, leeks, potatoes and, to Mitsoki's disgust, livestock. They ventured further in town, enduring cries of "Demons!" and responding with "They're with us, you racist pigs!" (This was from Kagome, no one else knew the term "Racist Pigs"). Inuyasha and his crew were well known and respected. Mitsoki less so, but villagers knew enough not to fear him. Angie, Farota and Lakuda, on the other hand, were a different story. Still, stares or no stares, they ventured into the main part of town and began looking for something to do. This being the feudal era, there were no clearly marked nightclubs. Something must be happening somewhere, and they were going to find it. They stopped to ask a random villager.

"Excuse me, sir?" asked Mitsoki, "We're adventurers, mercenaries, whatever cliché you want, and we've just arrived here in town. We're looking to let loose, kick back, scrape some of the blood off our toes, generally have a good time. Do you know where we can do that?"

"Well, I'd recommend the inn down the street. There's always some kind of party going on there," answered the man.

"You mean that one?" asked Inuyasha, pointing towards an inn.

"No, the one across the street," said the man, pointing to an inn directly across from the other one.

"Oh," said Inuyasha.

They wandered towards the inn, walked inside and instantly saw just what they were looking for. There was indeed a party. Of course, it was the feudal era, so there wasn't really loud music, dancing or Crystal Meth, but there was alcohol, laughing and that one idiot who always picks fights with all the bigger people who were, in this case, all demons. They didn't see this and, upon seeing a tiger demon beating the crap out of a random guy, they rushed in to stop it.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" yelled Inuyasha.

"Everyone a huge favour," responded the Tiger demon.

"Don't try to help. I can ta… take hib… him… ugh," said the man, bleeding from the mouth, forehead, shoulder and, surprisingly, not the nose.

"Why are you attacking an innocent man?" asked Kagome.

"He started it. He called my mother a whore and then punched me in the kidneys," said the tiger demon.

"It's true. He did the same to me," said a moth demon with bruised knuckles.

"Well, I'm just going to let you take care of that," said Mitsoki, wandering over to the bar.

"I'm with him," said Miroku, following.

"Just leave him alive," said Kagome.

"What they said," added Sango.

"Talk to me later if you want a real fight," said Inuyasha, before Kagome actually dragged him away.

"Just talk to me later," whispered Lakuda as everyone else was leaving.

About an hour later, everyone was drunk to the point where the table was the sky; Lakuda and the tiger demon were definitely enjoying themselves and Mitsoki had somehow ended up wearing Sango's battle outfit.

"Well, thish ish the most fun I've ever… You know what was fun? Turkeys," rambled Mitsoki.

"You got lucky in that fight. I could've killed you but I didn't because I love you man. I mean, why you gotta be so like that? I… I'm drunk," said Inuyasha.

"You know what we should do?" started Angie, "We should get some more sake and some more alcohol."

"No, you've had enough," slurred Kagome, "And you stole that line from Friends, which hasn't been invented for another five hundred years. One of us, one of us has to stay sober to tell everyone else when they're drunk, and it's… anyone got any chips?"

"We should go out and do something," suggested Mitsoki.

"Or someone," said Miroku, laughing like an idiot.

"You shut up monk," said Sango, still semi-sober, "And Mitsoki, give me my clothes back."

"I'm not wearing your, oh crap, how did that happen?" babbled Mitsoki.

"What a shame. I liked you, too," lamented Angie.

"What? Oh no, I'm not… no…" panicked Mitsoki, much to the amusement of all surrounding.

"That's a relief," said Angie, before passing out.

"Wait… did she just say she liked me?" asked Mitsoki.

"Someone's getting some," Miroku whispered to the person beside him, before realizing it was Kagome, and getting punched in the head. Then he leaned over to Inuyasha and muttered, "Looks like someone's on her time of the month." Inuyasha, hearing this about the woman he loved, promptly put him in a headlock and didn't let go until he passed out. Oddly enough, no one stopped him.

"We're dropping like flies!" said Mitsoki, "Any one of you could be next! Or it could be me!" Then, from that shock, he passed out.

"Well, to be fair, we all kind of knew he was going to wind up unconscious sooner or later," said Inuyasha, "That kind of life can't be healthy."

"What kind of life?" asked Kagome.

"Come on, that guy is an explosion waiting to happen," said Inuyasha.

"I think that guy at the other end of the bar is looking at you," said Kagome.

"Where? I'll kill him!" said Inuyasha.

"I rest my case," said Kagome.

"I thought you guys were in love," said Farota.

"We are," said Kagome.

"You seem to fight quite a bit," commented Farota.

"I was just pointing out his hypocrisy," said Kagome.

"Just because it's true doesn't mean you should say it," said Farota.

"I said that once," said Miroku, regaining consciousness for a second, then falling back into obscurity.

"Yeah, that's a good point," said Inuyasha, "Why are you always so mean to me? Even since this morning, you've still been insulting me every five minutes."

"Oh yeah? Well what about me?" asked Kagome, "You call me wench and whore and—"

"Yeah, but I don't really mean any of it," said Inuyasha.

"Well, it still hurts," said Kagome.

"Well maybe it hurts when you call me an idiot every time I turn around," said Inuyasha.

"Well I don't really mean it either," said Kagome. It was half true. She was really just kidding on the square (kidding, but also kind of meaning it. Blame Al Franken if you don't like the phrase).

"Hmm… maybe we should stop doing that," said Inuyasha.

"Yeah, we'll have to do that," said Kagome, before losing consciousness.

"What a lightweight," said Farota, before passing out.

"Well, Sango, I guess it's just you and me," said Inuyasha, then passing out himself, giving the unofficial crown to Sango. She decided it would be best if she just got another couple of shots and then went into the dream herself.

Mitsoki and Angie stumbled into their room. Ten hours ago, she had radiated cold disdain in his direction. Nine hours and fifty-eight minutes later, he got her to laugh. Five hours ago, she had admitted she liked him. Now this. Mitsoki questioned the morality of what he was about to do. He barely knew this girl, but he knew he liked her. Angie didn't question it at all. She knew she shouldn't be doing this. But, at this time and in this place, reality was melting. Truth was imaginary. She was running on pure sensory. And her senses weren't holding back. They lay down. What happened next couldn't be described from either point of view. It just happened. Now it was just happening. They lay pressing their newfound love through the night. Finally, after three hours, they rolled off each other, breathing heavily but not noticing. It would be a full ten minutes before either one of them would return fully to their senses. By then their breathing had slowed down, and they turned to look at each other. Mitsoki saw Angie. He took in her full beauty. They stared in silent reverence of what they had done, and of each other, for another ten minutes. The silence was broken by a very loud noise from the next room. It was a woman.

"Stop holding back monk! Give me everything you've got!" yelled the woman. _Sango's going to be pissed._ thought Mitsoki. Then it suddenly hit him: It _was_ Sango. He looked over at Angie, who had it hit her just as suddenly. They stared silent for a few seconds, then burst out laughing. After a minute, they calmed down and slipped into a gentle sleep, wrapped around each other.

The next morning, everyone woke up and headed to the lobby of the inn they had checked into the night before. Angie and Mitsoki arrived smiling with their arms around each other. Miroku and Sango arrived together, Sango smiling, Miroku shivering slightly. Lakuda and the tiger demon, who's name was revealed to be Tensoku, arrived next. Both of them simply had enormous smiles on their faces, as Tensoku carried Lakuda so that her legs were wrapped around his torso, and she sat back slightly. Farota arrived solo, looking around at everyone else and thinking to herself how happy she was that she hadn't done anything yet that she might regret. Lastly arrived Inuyasha and Kagome, who were both very happy but, contrary to all appearances, hadn't actually done anything last night, save maybe a little liplocking. They all looked around; everyone except Farota wondering if everyone else had noticed what they were doing last night. Even Inuyasha and Kagome. Kagome was still under the impression that she had done something dirty, and Inuyasha still feeling as though he was cheating on Kikyou. At this moment, Shippo walked in and wondered why everyone was so quiet. Finally, someone broke the silence.

"So… how was your night?" asked Kagome of Sango.

"Well, I didn't sleep too well," Sango responded.

"Uncomfortable?" asked Kagome.

"Nope," responded Sango.

"Let's go get some breakfast!" blurted out Miroku with the feeling of someone vomiting sharply.

"Sounds great. Where?" asked Lakuda.

"I'm still full from last night," joked Tensoku.

"I think I saw somewhere down the street," said Mitsoki, "The sign said they had some kind of trademark dish without a name. It's supposed to be some kind of spicy soybean roll."

"For breakfast?" asked Kagome.

"Hey, at this point, there's not that much I'm not open to," said Tensoku.

"Well then, let's try the spicy soybean roll," said Sango.

"But what if it hurts my tongue?" asked Inuyasha.

"Trust me, I'll take good care of your tongue," said Kagome, leaning in and kissing him.

"Soybean roll it is," proclaimed Inuyasha.

They proceeded down the road to the establishment and stepped inside. What greeted them could best be described as eclectic. The walls were an obscure shade of purple that looked oddly like dried mud, but the ceiling was bright pink. There were no floors, but the grass that grew on the ground had not only survived, but had this bizarre growth on top of it. It was like the dome of a mushroom, but made out of the same material as standard green plant life. They all walked in and as if in consensus decided to try the soybean roll. The only slight moderation being Mitsoki getting his without fish. They sat down and began to eat, the spices tantalizing their taste buds, which hadn't experienced anything in over ten hours. Except for Tensoku and Lakuda, but this is a T fic, so I won't elaborate.

"This isn't bad," remarked Miroku.

"No, not at all. I wouldn't have thought cloves and vinegar together, but it works," commented Mitsoki.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAH SWEET DEATH!!!!!!!!!!" screamed Inuyasha, finding out just how much he could take.

"What a lightweight," remarked Farota for the second time.

"That's what you said last night," said Lakuda to Tensoku.

"Look, we really don't need to hear all he details of your wild night last night," snapped Sango.

"Well excuse me, but we really didn't all need to hear the actual event of your wild night last night either," shot back Lakuda as Sango recoiled in mortification.

"You guys… you guys heard that?" asked Sango.

"Unborn children heard that," answered Lakuda.

"Oh… I, I can't… I'm so sorry I—" blurted Sango.

"There's nothing wrong with it," said Angie, "You two were just expressing your love for each other. That's just natural, no matter how… loud and wild it was."

"WILL SOMEONE HELP ME?" screamed Inuyasha before Kagome finally shut him up with her mouth, fulfilling her earlier promise.

"Really? You guys don't think we're sick?" asked Sango.

"No, not at all," said Mitsoki.

"I might," muttered Kagome.

"Get back to your public lovemaking," snapped Lakuda.

"What? I was just kidding," defended Kagome.

"Well, I'm done," said Shippo, putting down his chopsticks.

"Oh, that's right, we're eating," realized Miroku, looking down as the last bit of shock wore off and he downed the entire roll in a single bite. Seconds later, an entire new shock hit. Sango moved in to duplicate what appeared to be working for Inuyasha and Kagome, but this only freaked Miroku out more, and he ran for the door. Sango stepped up to follow him just as Mitsoki finished his roll and Inuyasha opted to venture another bite. It didn't go well. At this point, it occurred to Kagome that at some point she would have to eat, but decided it was best not to think about it now. They ate in cold, shocked silence for a few minutes, wondering what was, at this exact moment, going on outside. Everyone finished except for Inuyasha and Kagome. Finally Kagome broke the kiss.

"Look, this is great, but I really have to eat something other than your tongue before I die and we never get the chance to do this again," she commented.

"Fine. I have to use the bathroom anyways," said Inuyasha, venturing back to what appeared to be a pot behind a curtain. When he came back, Kagome had finished her roll and he realized it was now just him and hellfire. Hellfire staring back at him. He took a deep breath, bit the bullet and took three rapid bites finishing it all. He ripped it to shreds as fast as his doglike teeth would allow and ground it into oblivion with his molars, desperately trying to down the offending meal before the spice kicked in and he had second thoughts. Finally, he swallowed. He waited. Then the spice came like the sharp metal of a broken beer can slicing his gums and tongue into whole new shapes and levels of pain. He let out a scream, much to both the horror and entertainment of all present, but especially to those sitting at the table he now realized wasn't his. He looked over at what was revealed to be his own soybean roll, searched his brain for some way to avoid the realization that he still had to eat it, picked up the bowl, placed it in front of the man who's roll he had just eaten and yelled "Here!" before running out the back door still screaming in pain.

Best Monty Python Narrator Voice: Meanwhile, with the not so happy couple.

Sango chased after Miroku. They made it all the way to the edge of town before he tripped over a rock and slowed, causing Sango to hit him in the back running. He tried to get up and get away, but Sango gently pulled him back.

"I just want to talk," were the first words out of her mouth. They sent a slight wave of calm over Miroku.

"I'm listening," said Miroku.

"About last night," she began, "I'm sorry. I know I got a little crazy and I must have scared you to death. But you just inspire so many emotions in me, and as much as the main one is love, I've just spent so much of my life thinking of you as a despicable lecher that I had a little bit of unresolved anger."

"Okay," Miroku began, trying to take in the obscurity of the statement he had just heard. His girlfriend, his one and only real love, hated him? "So you can't stand the sight of me? Is that what you're trying to say?"

"No, not at all," Sango responded, "I just used to. Before I really knew you. No matter how much more I know now, those kinds of feelings don't just go away."

"Oh," comprehended Miroku, "Now I get it. But you don't hate me now?"

"No," reassured Sango, "But that's still no excuse for the way I acted last night. I completely understand if _you_ hate _me_."

"Oh no, I'm not scared of what we did last night. I just wasn't ready for it. I wasn't at all prepared to do what we did… that way… with you. But now that we're out in the open, we can do it that way again and again," said Miroku.

"You… like that?" asked Sango, becoming confused.

"Sure," said Miroku.

"You're sick!" proclaimed Sango, getting up to leave.

"No, I don't mean I like it as a rule. I just mean I'm okay with it as long as it's with you," clarified Miroku.

"Oh," pondered Sango, "So does that mean we're good again?"

"I guess. You're good with me. Am I good with you?" asked Miroku.

"You're good with me," answered Sango. They shared a quick kiss, and then got up off the ground.

Meanwhile, back at the restaurant, Inuyasha had stopped running around in circles with his tongue sticking out, proclaiming himself to be the amphibian messiah. They had all gone up collectively and paid for the food, and were now heading out to find Miroku and Sango. Miroku and Sango were just coming back at the time. They reunited and tried to decide what to do next.

"I hate to admit it, but I'm kind of tired of partying," confessed Angie.

"And I'm just kind of tired," remarked Lakuda.

"Well, we could just go set up camp and relax for the day," suggested Kagome.

"Set up camp?" asked Farota.

"Oh, did we not mention? We're all travelling together, sort of like adventurers," said Mitsoki.

"I thought that was just a line you used to find the best places to party," admitted Angie.

"I can't see how that wouldn't have come up in conversation," said Mitsoki.

_What have I gotten myself into?_ thought Angie, _I've slept with him already, and I didn't even know this about him?_

"Well, I'm cool with adventuring. Count me in," volunteered Tensoku.

"I guess it's a little weird, but I'm in," said Angie.

"Wow, you got Angie in. How can I resist?" conceded Farota.

"At this point, I really couldn't be out," said Lakuda, "Just as long as I don't have to fight. I hate violence. I have mild healing powers. I'll use those."

"Well, aren't we one big family?" commented Kagome.

"I hope not," exclaimed Lakuda and Tensoku in unison.

"I agree. One big family. One sick, twisted, perverted, depraved family," said Farota with a grin.

"Don't you just love it?" asked Mitsoki rhetorically.

"You know, I think I do," responded Farota.

"So… just what are we attempting to accomplish?" asked Angie.

"What do you mean?" asked Mitsoki.

"This adventure you guys are on. I just signed up for it, I'm kind of curious to know what I'm getting myself into," answered Angie.

"We're attempting to kill the demon Naraku. We all have our reasons," answered Mitsoki.

Angie felt a chill. _These are the ones,_ she thought.

Endnotes (and not like Ann Coulter's endnotes, which she uses for pure evil, but I won't get into that now): For those of you who have stuck by this far, thank you so much. I know it got a bit weird, but the next chapter will be more normal. I'm going to keep this fic at a T rating, unless enough of you review and disagree. My main concern is that this will no longer show up on the main list of stories if I give it the dreaded M rating. Also, I apologize for taking so FREAKING LONG! But in the eternal dust storm that is my life, it sometimes takes me a while. Either way, to all my fans, peace out. To all my haters, up yours, and to everyone in between… up out? Peace yours. All kidding aside, much love and happiness to all. Please review. If my story is not succeed, I will be execute. Sorry, Borat.

PPS. Thanks to Richard O'Brian (the guy who did Rocky Horror Picture Show) for supplying the line "The game had been disbanded" and to David Bowie for the line "Pressing their newfound love through the night." And thanks to both of them for not suing. Right? Right? Seriously, not worth it. Don't sue.


	4. Angie, Angie

Chapter Four: Angie, Angie

A lone demoness stood outside in the rain. She screamed blue fire at the sky above, then dropped to her knees, sobbing. She buried her face in her hands, her long, white hair clinging to itself in many rain-induced strands of pain. She violently ejected her face from her hands when she realized they were still coated in blood. She stared down into a puddle and saw that it was now all over her face. The howled in violent emptiness as her brain made the connection that the blood, like the utter feeling of soul destruction, was spreading to overtake her whole body. Only a few feet in front of her, the body of a human lay eternally motionless in front of her. It had only been about a half an hour ago. The cold knife on her neck, the hand prodding her entire body to deprive her of all her earthly possessions, the cold knife entering her neck, the feeling of her bare leg tearing through flesh, the shocked expression on his face when he realized his light was fading out for ever, and finally the wave of shock that overtook her when she realized what she had done. She had killed a man. With only a single action, she had ended decades of life. She couldn't even contemplate what she had done.

_You had to. He was going to kill you,_ her brain told her. She didn't believe it. She should've left him a little bit alive. She should have… tied him up and taken him to justice. She didn't have any rope, and authorities didn't usually listen to demons. She should have beaten him to the exact point of unconsciousness. _Do you really think you could have found that exact point?_ It was an eternal struggle. The rational part of her brain trying desperately to hold on against the violent waves of her emotions. She should've… used softer blows. _He would've killed you._ No matter how she thought about it, she had done no wrong. But she needed to think she had done something bad, something evil. How else could she justify the dull burning of guilt in her chest? She couldn't, but it was there. So she decided not to rationalize, and she just wept.

Kouga was on the move. Now was the time when he would finally extract the revenge he'd been looking for in the name of all he'd seen fall. And the weather was perfect. Naraku's blood would mix with the rain, and a masterpiece of red would dance across the canvas of the Earth.

_Just perfect,_ thought Naraku, running as fast as he could in his temporary body, _This pathetic wolf somehow manages to find me before my new body is ready. And where is Kagura?_ Kagura, meanwhile, sat perched on a cliff, waiting. Her enslaver, the one she had tried so desperately to rid herself of, was going to die. She couldn't let him see her now. Her only desire was to come down to Earth, just as the wolf was finishing him off, and strike the final blow, ceremoniously, with the dagger she was at present using to hold her hair up. It wasn't sharp enough to cut hair on contact. Perfect. Payback for all the times he had lightly squeezed on her heart, sending waves of pain through her body. It was beautiful.

Naraku had other plans. He darted towards the tree line. Once inside, he darted left, then right, then left again. Kouga was only beginning to realize how screwed he was when he looked up and saw Kagura. _Great,_ he thought, _I'm going to die._ To his surprise, however, she motioned her finger to his left. He understood and went left. She motioned right. Naraku looked up. Kagura began moving her hands haphazardly, as if nonchalantly swaying in the breeze. Naraku bought it. Kouga didn't get it. He began running left and right, finally falling over a rock and landing unceremoniously on his face. Naraku continued in a straight line. Kagura tried to follow, but felt a familiar tug on her chest that said, "I know what you're thinking." It was over. She pulled the dagger out of her hair, shed a tear in frustration, and contemplated digging it into her arm. The blood would be like a penance to herself. Then she regained her senses and reconsidered. There would be other chances.

Naraku was in the clear now, both literally and metaphorically. The trees had ended, and so had the wolf hunting him down. He looked out ahead and saw a small woman in red on her knees. He saw more than that, he saw a weak and wounded soul. Perfect. He walked over. He saw the corpse, the blood still dripping from both halves. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

"Look in front of you!" Angie wailed, "I killed a man."

"Life is fragile and worthless. Don't feel guilty about ending it," Naraku said.

"You're sick!" exclaimed Angie, starting to back away.

"No, that's not what I meant," said Naraku. Clearly this was not the route to take, "My mind was… elsewhere. What I meant to say is that I'm sure it's not as bad as you think. Why did you kill him?"

"He tried to rob me," responded Angie, "And then… kill me." She spoke almost as if it was a guilty admission.

"Well then, what are you worried about? You had every reason to kill him," said Naraku. It was weird, talking as if he had morals.

"There must have been another way," said Angie. She was still demanding a rationale for her guilt, and still trying desperately to find one.

"There was nothing else you could do," said Naraku, "Sometimes death is inevitable."

"But I could have avoided it," said Angie.

"At the cost of your own life," said Naraku.

"Maybe," said Angie, her own pain easing away, being replaced by frustration at fighting a losing argument. It only flickered for a second, then nothing. She was fine now. "Who are you?"

"My name is Naraku," said… Naraku.

"The one they all keep talking about?" asked Angie.

"Yes," said Naraku, "But don't listen to them."

"So then the stories aren't true?" asked Angie.

"Some of them," responded Naraku, "Just the bad ones."

"Really," remarked Angie. Why had he worded it like that? It sounded too much like a lie. It was as if he had said, "I swear I'm good always."

"A lot of people have a lot to gain from a lot of other people wanting me dead," said Naraku. It was technically true, but not in the way he was wording it.

"I understand," she said. She identified, as did all demons, and it instilled in her a dangerous trust. "Why are you out of breath?" These words sent a thought into her mind: _The man I killed will be out of breath forever._ This sent another wave of sadness straight to her brain, and she began shaking. Naraku thought now would be a good time to dodge her question. He just stood and waited a few minutes for her to calm down. When she did, she had forgotten asking a question. There was a long, awkward silence in the conversation. Finally, Naraku said something.

"You'll feel better in a moment," he said. This reminded Angie that she wasn't feeling better now, and she felt dizzy for a second. She didn't associate her pain with Naraku saying anything, so instead perceived Naraku's words only as kind.

Naraku could see his plan coming together. In only a few seconds, he would have a new disciple. He had walked in just as she was about to start feeling better, so she would perceive that he was making her feel better. From there, he was only cementing the sweet unilateral deal. But he lacked her trust. That would take weeks. He asked her to come back to Mt. Hakuré. She did. Over the next few weeks, she came back again and again. Finally, it was showtime. Kagura rushed in. "Everyone's here," she said.

Naraku turned to Angie with prosthetic concern. "You have to get out of here," he said, "They're coming."

"Who?" asked Angie.

"I can't tell you," said Naraku, smiling on the inside. It was all so perfect. If it had been modern times, he would have thought, _Just like in the movies._ She trusted the crap out of him. She was trustalicious. She trusted him so much he couldn't even think of stupid ways to express how much she trusted him. Kanna led her out of the mountain, and she watched from a distance as the entire mountain collapsed. She stood there for hours wondering what had happened to the one she had confided in so much over the past few weeks. Finally, he returned. His body, his new body, was torn everywhere. There was blood dripping, and some unidentified substance that she didn't ask him about (it was the substance Kikyou had bled during their encounter).

"So who did this to you?" asked Angie.

"Angie, I'm going to tell you something I've never told anyone," said Naraku, "There's a half-demon by the name of Inuyasha. He's wanted to kill me ever since I persuaded his girlfriend to back out of their relationship. He was hurting her."

"That's horrible," said Angie.

"I… I know this might be a bit much to ask of you, but I need you to kill him for me," said Naraku.

"I don't think I could," said Angie.

"If you don't, he'll kill me," said Naraku.

"Well, I guess I have no choice," said Angie.

"It's for the best," said Naraku, "Hey, you could get your sisters to help you."

"I'm not telling them about any of this," said Angie, "I could never get them wrapped up in this kind of thing. But I'm not just going to wander off and not tell them why. I'll figure it all out later."

"If you think you're up to the task," said Naraku.

"I do," said Angie, "I'd do anything to protect you from the harsh injustices of demonic prejudice."

Naraku smiled. An inwardly twisted smile, but from outside it looked warm. His minion was ready. His soldier was trained. And she had no idea.

END

Author's Notes: Just in case you haven't figured it out yet, this chapter took place before the rest of the story. It's not a flashback per se, we all know that flashbacks don't exist. Just tell that to THE SPIDERS! OH THE SPIDERS! Anyways, flashbacks tend to occur from one person's perspective. Also, by the time you read this, I'll already be working on C5: To Put Through The Shredder In Front Of My Friends.


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